Other/Uncategorized Yasuhara LTM rangefinder camera

Other Screw mount bodies/lenses
I've handled one. Very cheaply made and known for having all manner of problems. Conclusion: absolute junk, stay well clear.
 
Thanks guys for the info. I was particularly attracted by the lens but haven't bid anyways. I just wanted to report it here so that people know about it.
 
jonmanjiro said:
I've handled one. Very cheaply made and known for having all manner of problems. Conclusion: absolute junk, stay well clear.
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Just to express another view, for anyone reading this thread who might be considering a T981. I can't agree it's cheaply made. It is, nearly, entirely made of metal. Parts that you might expect to be plastic are not. The top and bottom plates are solid brass. This doesn't sound like a cheap camera to make. Yes, there is/was a problem with the shutter not being the most suitable but many users, myself included, have not experienced any problems. I don't know of any other issues.

You might make your judgement by 'handling one'. I make mine having completely dismantled and rebuilt one.
 
monopix said:
You might make your judgement by 'handling one'. I make mine having completely dismantled and rebuilt one.
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Yes, the metal bits indeed feel quite nice. The "known for having all manner of problems" part of my previous reply is a reference to numerous Japanese language blogs and posts reporting multiple problems with the T981, such as impossible to properly adjust rangefinder, flakey unreliable metering, flarey finder, light leaks, rough advance and rewind action. I hope you have better luck than those guys.
 
First line in Google search return is bartender article.
Looks like "I must have them all" collectors item, not photographer's camera.
 
jonmanjiro said:
Yes, the metal bits indeed feel quite nice. The "known for having all manner of problems" part of my previous reply is a reference to numerous Japanese language blogs and posts reporting multiple problems with the T981, such as impossible to properly adjust rangefinder, flakey unreliable metering, flarey finder, light leaks, rough advance and rewind action. I hope you have better luck than those guys.
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Well I've had chance to play with mine a bit more and I'm starting to see some of the issues you mention. But, they're not necessarily any different than you might get with other 20 year old cameras, so I'm not put off. To take the specific points you make...

Rangefinder adjustment: Yes, a complete pain, but again, I've seen similar problems with other rangefinders. I found a few issues which I've largely resolved. I intend to post a detailed write up at some point. I'll post a link here when I do.

Unreliable metering: Not seen that at all. Seems pretty reliable under a range of conditions.

Flarey finder: Haven't seen this either. Or maybe I haven't noticed it. Was taking pictures in bright sun yesterday and pointing it straight into the sun didn't cause issues.

Light leaks: Don't all old cameras get them. Maybe the T981 had them from new. I don't know. I have a small leak but the seals need changing anyway.

Rough advance and rewind: The advance has a ratchet that is necessary. The general arrangement isn't too different from other cameras. It is what it is. Can't change it. The rewind is awful. Packing it with some grease helped but it's the worst rewind I've ever experienced. Can't agree more with that.

I would add the problem of seeing the green LED in the viewfinder in bright light. Partly due to poor circuit design. I've modified mine and it's a lot better.
 
monopix said:
You might make your judgement by 'handling one'. I make mine having completely dismantled and rebuilt one.
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I chuckled when I saw this -- major kudos for being able to tear it down and rebuild it, but this makes it sound like "it's a great camera, once you go in and fix everything in it!" Maybe not what you meant.
 
KoNickon said:
I chuckled when I saw this -- major kudos for being able to tear it down and rebuild it, but this makes it sound like "it's a great camera, once you go in and fix everything in it!" Maybe not what you meant.
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Not exactly, but doesn't that apply to a high percentage of all the film cameras on the market. Pretty much everyone I've bought I've had to fix in some way.

The T981 was usable as I bought it. But I bought it because I wanted to tear it down to find out how it was made. And, having done that, I took the opportunity to 'improve' a few things. It's a camera I want to keep and it's not the first camera I've 'improved'. You should see my Rolleiflex 2.8c.
 
monopix said:
Not exactly, but doesn't that apply to a high percentage of all the film cameras on the market. Pretty much everyone I've bought I've had to fix in some way.

The T981 was usable as I bought it. But I bought it because I wanted to tear it down to find out how it was made. And, having done that, I took the opportunity to 'improve' a few things. It's a camera I want to keep and it's not the first camera I've 'improved'. You should see my Rolleiflex 2.8c.
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This is intriguing. What did you do to improve the Yasuhara?
 
Of course, 'improvement' may be subjective. I'm happy to make a camera more usable to me. I rarely bother about keeping something original. I'm not a collector. Just making that clear.

I'm writing up the details as there's too much to put in a post here. But most of the changes were about making the rangefinder more accurate/stable and easier to adjust. Another issue I found which I forgot to mention above was some backlash in the rangefinder mechanism. I've already mentioned the LED brightness which I might play with a bit more. I also added a grip as the camera feels quite heavy though I don't know how it compares to similar types.

9rQsa1xl.jpg
 
Roger Hicks mentions the Yasuhara in Rangefinder. Without having the book in front of me, apparently the shutter was taken from an SLR, and isn't properly light tight without the reflex mirror as a secondary shutter. Production started in Japan, but then moved to China, in the interests of cost-cutting, which may explain the variations in quality.
 
Correct. The shutter was designed for SLR use. I wouldn't say it was 'taken' from an SLR as the whole T981 chassis is from an SLR - the Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 - with some modifications. Some shutters might exhibit leaks through the blades. Mine doesn't. Yasuhara was aware of the problem and recommended the lens cap be kept on.

The camera was never made in Japan. It was always made in China by Phenix.
 
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